Fred Aiken Writing

July 19, 2023

HOLE IN POCKETS

chained to the idea of freedom,
even when it doesn’t make any sense,
even while spending thousands of dollars at amazon
and google and apple and barnes and noble and kroger and publix
and aldi’s and walmart and verizon and at&t and comcast and 3m,
to name a few,
and i certainly hope they love me as much as i love them
with my dinero that got lost when i didn’t realize
there was a hole in my pocket

July 18, 2023

CROSS THE STREET, THEY SAID

a soundtrack of whistling folk singers
scream into a microphone painted red while
wearing papier-mache mustaches sprinkled with glittery gold
as the city sits with hands folded back,
shoulders stiffened by the weight of melodic notes
trampling down streets not-yet-paved,
but i still think it might be safe to cross the street

July 17, 2023

WHAT IT’S LIKE FOR ME TO LISTEN TO ELLIOTT SMITH

the most consistent way i’ve found to clear a room 
is to start playing elliott smith,
and i haven’t been able to tell if it’s because everyone
starts feeling introspective and sad about their life, or life in general,
or if it’s because i start break dancing when i listen to elliott smith,
and i get, 
how do you say,
kinda violent